Super Metroid. A game that comes from Metroid on the NES. A classic on the NES, Metroid was set up to the massive classic that Super Metroid would then become on the SNES and pave the way for the fanatical following of it afterward. Super Metroid is also, after going through Google, Wikipedia and YouTube, a speed runner's dream. It's also got accolades. Electronic Gaming Monthly in 2004 called it the Greatest Game ever made at the time, a feature that would possibly hold today if not in the top 5 or 10. To me, it's the most fun game I have ever played. It boasts a great challenge without being too grind heavy. It allows for a break in the story as the story isn't linear and you don't have to do one thing to do another to do that other thing, hence why the speed runners are so good at this. So what does this game do well? And why was it known for being the greatest ever made? Let's look below.
Positives:
1. The power-ups: They do not just pop up all the time right away. They progress over time. This makes this RPG so much fun. You have to have some strategy, even when speed running, to go through this game. The bosses are very much a challenge so you have to accord your power ups as you can.
2. The graphics: Needless to say, the graphics are badass. They hold up today and they were done amazingly throughout. There is no level that makes you think, "Well, these were done terribly." Nintendo was simply fantastic during the graphics phase of the game.
3. The non-linear story: There are a few games that a non-linear plot works fantastically. Among those: Final Fantasy VII, The 7th Saga, and this game, Super Metroid. You know the road probably leads to Mother Brain (oh come on, you know this isn't too much of a spoiler.) However, what you don't know is the road to get there. You have to do a bunch of things to get there. When you are finally there, there is a couple of stunning things that make you think it wasn't her that you truly face. So the winding story is something that is awesome.
4. Various things to do: From wall jumping, to bomb jumping, sprint jumping, this game has everything. You also have to do a lot of these things to be successful at the game in order to get the power ups. The most important of the things you have to learn is shine spriting. Essentially is when you get the speed booster to help it then you stop and launch up to a different floor or to a power up or different things. The other may be the screw attack as it becomes super easy then to beat enemies.
5. The music: Simply put, the music is absolutely incredible. Every part of the game has absolutely brilliant music to it. You cannot go wrong at Crateria, the Sunken Ship or anywhere else.
6. It's a challenge: You'll likely die if you haven't played in a long time. I did on more than one occasion. That doesn't make this game bad by any stretch. If you know the SNES, there are a LOT of challenging games out there. This is one of them. Super Metroid will challenge you in so many ways and you will be a better RPG player for it. Every step is a challenge in this game but you are better for that challenge afterward.
7. The Battle System: It's a continuous flow for Super Metroid, unlike Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, which makes it why I said the most fun I have had playing a game. You have to think all the time, instead of what you are going to do on a turn. The battle system is incredible and makes for a very awesome game.
8. Different Endings: This all preludes what you do for a time. There are three different endings assorted by if you finish the game under a certain amount of time and if you complete 100 percent of the game (including a different rescue at the end.) It's another added plus.
Negatives:
Literally, nothing. The graphics for the time were fantastic, as well as the music, the battle system and much more. This game was perfect for Nintendo.
Grade, where does it rank all-time?
The grade is easy. It's 10/10 and easily the best game Nintendo made for the SNES. As far as all-time rank, to me it is #3. Note this: My top 4 games all time are all rated 10/10 and it is very hard to say and is interchangeable. I happen to own and am in the process of completing what I think is the second best game on the SNES. If noted by #1, which was Chrono Trigger, you could take a guess at #2. However, Super Metroid is very deserving of all the accolades that it has gotten over the years. It is the most fun I had with an SNES game.
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Sunday, March 10, 2019
SNES Game Review: NCAA Football
If there is one thing to know about me, I like sports video games on most consoles. That includes the Super Nintendo, even though most of them (not including Tecmo) are massively below average. NCAA Football is a game that the producers from Mindscape that I try to believe wanted to at least be as decent as Bill Walsh College Football for the SNES. However.. as you'll read.. it doesn't really come close. There are some positives, so let's dive into those first.
Positives:
1. Field graphics: These are quite done well in my opinion. They aren't choppy, they aren't plastered on there at all and they look pretty decent for an SNES game made by a company most haven't heard of today. So this is a pretty solid starting point.
2. Offense/defense mix: The offenses aren't too overpowering (see Tecmo) and defenses aren't world-beaters (See Madden on SNES) so they both have a good flow to them on both sides of the ball. This was a good point for me while playing it.
3. Team uniforms: I believe for the most part, Mindscape got those right. Wisconsin's colors were good, same with Stanford, Syracuse, and so on. Not an overtly great positive, but one that'll work when you at least are knowledgeable about the sport of football.
4. NCAA license: Not sure how the NCAA licensed this game but not Bill Walsh. Sort of mystified, but at least they got colleges instead of random city names.
Negatives:
1. No regular season: Yep, like I said it doesn't get much better than the four listed above. The way to beat this game is go through a 16 team tournament and you are good. No regular season like actual college football You can do just one of the decades because otherwise it's just repeating itself through decades.
2. Slow pace: The time is slow, the players are slow and the running/passing are slow. In all, this is just a slow game. I'll emphasize that it isn't blocky. It's just slow. While most games are only around 30 minutes, you also burn a lot of time in the playbook, which leads me to..
3. Playbook clunk: This is very clunky. And also slow as well, because it takes forever to get to the play you want and you risk a delay of game penalty a lot of the time. If Mindscape and refined this, it would have been a lot better. However, it's very difficult to navigate within a 25 second frame for a play.
4. Passing game: This is a major downfall. It's difficult to complete passes. It is something in the mechanics of the game that make it a rough thing to come up with as an answer because it would be a more polished game with a better passing game. A real shame considering the passing game is so brutal and it is hard to complete passes. A product of that is...
5. Controls: Yep, the first time I will complain about the controls of a game. These were just so nonsensical it is hilarious. The controls to kick are so wonky, same with toggling for a receiver and passing. For rushing and defense it is easy to do. But otherwise, it's a mess of the controls all around.
6. Map on the field: Now you can toggle the map off, but it brings up a point. Why is there a map anyway when you can turn it off? It doesn't make much sense to me at all.
Analysis:
There weren't many college games made for the SNES, but Bill Walsh is better by far than this game. There were a couple more games made but I haven't played them at all. NCAA Football had some good moments to it, but there were far too many negatives for it to be considered even an average game at best.
Grade, Where does it rank all-time?
The grade is somewhere around a 4 out of 10. Mindscape did the fundamentals of offense/defense right. They also had the NCAA license to build themselves upon, but they fell well short. If they cleaned up the game's clunky features, slow gameplay and made it close to a Tecmo-esque game, they would have been so much better than Bill Walsh's College Football. However, they had a game that was far too slow, too clunky, and too uncontrollable. For a rank, I have to put it around 540th, or there about. It's not the worst of the worst, and it's far from the worst sports game. However it's not a good game either and doesn't deserve to be in the top half.
Positives:
1. Field graphics: These are quite done well in my opinion. They aren't choppy, they aren't plastered on there at all and they look pretty decent for an SNES game made by a company most haven't heard of today. So this is a pretty solid starting point.
2. Offense/defense mix: The offenses aren't too overpowering (see Tecmo) and defenses aren't world-beaters (See Madden on SNES) so they both have a good flow to them on both sides of the ball. This was a good point for me while playing it.
3. Team uniforms: I believe for the most part, Mindscape got those right. Wisconsin's colors were good, same with Stanford, Syracuse, and so on. Not an overtly great positive, but one that'll work when you at least are knowledgeable about the sport of football.
4. NCAA license: Not sure how the NCAA licensed this game but not Bill Walsh. Sort of mystified, but at least they got colleges instead of random city names.
Negatives:
1. No regular season: Yep, like I said it doesn't get much better than the four listed above. The way to beat this game is go through a 16 team tournament and you are good. No regular season like actual college football You can do just one of the decades because otherwise it's just repeating itself through decades.
2. Slow pace: The time is slow, the players are slow and the running/passing are slow. In all, this is just a slow game. I'll emphasize that it isn't blocky. It's just slow. While most games are only around 30 minutes, you also burn a lot of time in the playbook, which leads me to..
3. Playbook clunk: This is very clunky. And also slow as well, because it takes forever to get to the play you want and you risk a delay of game penalty a lot of the time. If Mindscape and refined this, it would have been a lot better. However, it's very difficult to navigate within a 25 second frame for a play.
4. Passing game: This is a major downfall. It's difficult to complete passes. It is something in the mechanics of the game that make it a rough thing to come up with as an answer because it would be a more polished game with a better passing game. A real shame considering the passing game is so brutal and it is hard to complete passes. A product of that is...
5. Controls: Yep, the first time I will complain about the controls of a game. These were just so nonsensical it is hilarious. The controls to kick are so wonky, same with toggling for a receiver and passing. For rushing and defense it is easy to do. But otherwise, it's a mess of the controls all around.
6. Map on the field: Now you can toggle the map off, but it brings up a point. Why is there a map anyway when you can turn it off? It doesn't make much sense to me at all.
Analysis:
There weren't many college games made for the SNES, but Bill Walsh is better by far than this game. There were a couple more games made but I haven't played them at all. NCAA Football had some good moments to it, but there were far too many negatives for it to be considered even an average game at best.
Grade, Where does it rank all-time?
The grade is somewhere around a 4 out of 10. Mindscape did the fundamentals of offense/defense right. They also had the NCAA license to build themselves upon, but they fell well short. If they cleaned up the game's clunky features, slow gameplay and made it close to a Tecmo-esque game, they would have been so much better than Bill Walsh's College Football. However, they had a game that was far too slow, too clunky, and too uncontrollable. For a rank, I have to put it around 540th, or there about. It's not the worst of the worst, and it's far from the worst sports game. However it's not a good game either and doesn't deserve to be in the top half.
SNES Game Review: Wheel Of Fortune: Deluxe Edition
A lot of game shows were in the Super Nintendo at the height of television shows. Most notably of those are Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. For the latter, they made two versions. A regular edition, and a deluxe edition. Essentially there isn't much difference, but the main things to the deluxe edition is six rounds and a ton of different puzzles. While the puzzle substance is there, how does this game add up to anything else?
Positives:
1. It's a very quick game: You'll be done with this game in less than an hour. Literally even though it took me three tries, I was done in less than an hour's time and it went straight to this review. I think that can be a good thing if you want it to be. If you want to keep playing, then keep on playing!
2. Depth of puzzles: There are over 4,000 puzzles to this thing. So you likely wouldn't go through the same ones time after time. Gametek, the producers of this game, knew it would be a quick game so they want to keep the gamer going with puzzles upon puzzles if they wanted. So you can't complain about variety at all.
3. Kind of like Wheel of Fortune: It's kind of realistic like Wheel of Fortune because you have to pick and guess and solve. The prizes are also involved at the end like the show as well. It's the best they could do to simulate it, so they deserve the award for trying at least.
4. Multi-player: This is a sticking point with me as you can game with more than just two computers. You got the capacity to play multi-player and have fun with a friend, relative or significant other. For a lot of gamers, this could be a good thing.
Negatives:
1. AI Difficulty: It's really not there, unless you forget the letters you have (admittedly guilty of this.) So it's not as realistic in that sense like the real show because the AI just are not very bright.
2. Lack of player choices: Only six characters in the screen to choose from. It would have been really cool if they went in-depth with this with multiple characters to choose from.
Neutral:
1. Graphics- They aren't bad, but aren't great. They are alright for the time frame and the ability to be a quick game.
2. No Pat Sajak, but Vanna White is featured: For those watchers of the show, Pat is not featured in the game, but Vanna is. Given there isn't much for substance of the characters themselves, it's more a neutral than a negative that only one of two main show people were featured.
Analysis:
Wheel of Fortune: Deluxe Edition is a game that if GameTek put more into this, could have been a game on PS1 or N64 that would be really fun. I know it is out for the latest Gen Nintendo console, so they brought it back. For the SNES though, it's limited in sphere of how they can do it. It's got a multi-player feature which is huge for the game and definitely benefits it. For the intelligence of AI lacking though, it drops it down a peg. To me, it's good that it is a quick game, because that's how it was made and why it was made for. The fact that it is a quick game is what makes it alright. It's not great, not bad either. It's an above average game that if you want to spend half an hour on, go for it.
Grading, where does it rank all-time of SNES games?
For a grade, I'd say 6.3 out of 10. Like I said it's not a bad, nor great game. It's a game that is there and collected money for the title. It has a multitude of puzzles if you want to keep going with the game after beating it. For an all-time rank, I'd say around 340th. It's being above average puts it above the median line only just. Not a bad game if you are looking for a little bit of a break from the world.
Positives:
1. It's a very quick game: You'll be done with this game in less than an hour. Literally even though it took me three tries, I was done in less than an hour's time and it went straight to this review. I think that can be a good thing if you want it to be. If you want to keep playing, then keep on playing!
2. Depth of puzzles: There are over 4,000 puzzles to this thing. So you likely wouldn't go through the same ones time after time. Gametek, the producers of this game, knew it would be a quick game so they want to keep the gamer going with puzzles upon puzzles if they wanted. So you can't complain about variety at all.
3. Kind of like Wheel of Fortune: It's kind of realistic like Wheel of Fortune because you have to pick and guess and solve. The prizes are also involved at the end like the show as well. It's the best they could do to simulate it, so they deserve the award for trying at least.
4. Multi-player: This is a sticking point with me as you can game with more than just two computers. You got the capacity to play multi-player and have fun with a friend, relative or significant other. For a lot of gamers, this could be a good thing.
Negatives:
1. AI Difficulty: It's really not there, unless you forget the letters you have (admittedly guilty of this.) So it's not as realistic in that sense like the real show because the AI just are not very bright.
2. Lack of player choices: Only six characters in the screen to choose from. It would have been really cool if they went in-depth with this with multiple characters to choose from.
Neutral:
1. Graphics- They aren't bad, but aren't great. They are alright for the time frame and the ability to be a quick game.
2. No Pat Sajak, but Vanna White is featured: For those watchers of the show, Pat is not featured in the game, but Vanna is. Given there isn't much for substance of the characters themselves, it's more a neutral than a negative that only one of two main show people were featured.
Analysis:
Wheel of Fortune: Deluxe Edition is a game that if GameTek put more into this, could have been a game on PS1 or N64 that would be really fun. I know it is out for the latest Gen Nintendo console, so they brought it back. For the SNES though, it's limited in sphere of how they can do it. It's got a multi-player feature which is huge for the game and definitely benefits it. For the intelligence of AI lacking though, it drops it down a peg. To me, it's good that it is a quick game, because that's how it was made and why it was made for. The fact that it is a quick game is what makes it alright. It's not great, not bad either. It's an above average game that if you want to spend half an hour on, go for it.
Grading, where does it rank all-time of SNES games?
For a grade, I'd say 6.3 out of 10. Like I said it's not a bad, nor great game. It's a game that is there and collected money for the title. It has a multitude of puzzles if you want to keep going with the game after beating it. For an all-time rank, I'd say around 340th. It's being above average puts it above the median line only just. Not a bad game if you are looking for a little bit of a break from the world.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Book Review: Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World
Now you'll look at the title of this and be like "David, how on bloody Earth do you now review books after a bazillion SNES games?" Well it's easy in a way (and by the way, when I decide I have enough time in my life on video games, it will also look to PlayStation games if/when that ever happens.) However, this is my first ever real book review I am putting up. So it'll be a lot different than those bluntly honest video game reviews I put up for SNES (I would say if you are looking forward to it, my next one is Final Fantasy 6.) But I'll really just give my insight as to the book, with some positives, negatives but mainly overall my thoughts on it in full. So, without any more lecturing of how this will go, here's what I thought of this book.
For me, Getting Bi is a good book for myself. If you have lived under a rock in the last year, and in most cases you haven't (though kudos to you if you have made that work), you'll note and know that I am bisexual. This is honestly a good book for a person learning about themselves personally in terms of who they really are. For myself personally, I found the insight of the authors and the stories of others to be very intriguing. I thought incorporating people from other countries was a very astute idea as it makes you open to the idea of the laws and observations of a public abroad. The idea for me to be involved in this book is to learn more about myself as I go on with life. I found that to be a very positive influence for myself and others while reading. If there is any negative, it's that this is probably a direct book to people who are bi, but it does have some ideas for transgendered people as well. However, it doesn't really go much deeper than that for either straight people, gay people, etc. I would have liked some insight as to that, but given the book's title, you can't really think the context would be more than it was.
In critical summary, if you are bisexual or are trying to learn about yourself such as myself you will really like this book. If you aren't, then you might find it intriguing to learn about other people but likely wouldn't enjoy it too much. For myself, I found the book to be very much with insight and knowledge that I can use for the future. I'm very proud to have read this book and learn about how I can live with being bisexual more in the future. And different situations to handle it. I would recommend this book to a various amount of people and think it is much worth reading.
Saturday, February 2, 2019
SNES Game Review: Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition is about the most real title you can think of. Yes, it's the final edition of the trilogy for the SNES. They actually did make one for the PlayStation, which I haven't physically played but it didn't sell well so maybe look into that for how it is? Anyway, the third edition for Tecmo is honestly the best of the three and it is also the best of the football games on SNES. That may not seem like much, given how lackluster I felt about the Madden 96 review, but the Tecmo game is probably the highest of the video games for football that I could rate. That's going based on a lot of different factors. However, there are a lot of flaws with this game as well. How did I feel about it?
Positives:
1. Nearly all players listed: Now there are some players not on here. But that's because of personal preference. This game had the NFL license. Same with Madden, NFL QB Club and others, but it still was up to the player to reject it. It became a thing more with the PS1/N64 and other platforms to get your name on the game. So due respect as it was.
2. Some teams are perfectly put on the game: It's weird, but roll with me. Some teams are perfectly built here. Dallas, San Francisco, and GB were the three best teams in the NFC in 1995 and played like it. Detroit was a playoff team and played like it. Cleveland was a legit Super Bowl contender (if they didn't move) and played like it. Others like Houston were bad and played like it. There is a catch to this however and I will dive on that.
3. Ability to sign/trade: The final edition got this right. Though I didn't trade or sign anyone, you can definitely do so if you wanted. If you wanted a stacked Browns team, you could. Or more stacked Dallas team, you could. Just give it a go and see what you could do in terms of Free Agency or trading players all around.
4. Improved graphics: This is more of a comparison to the other two, but the third has the best graphics to make it a realistic enough feeling for what the super Nintendo would have in terms of a football game. It's obviously something the PS1 and other consoles do better on but this game probably is the best in terms of graphics with the SNES for football.
Negatives:
1. Not all teas are perfectly put: Yep, like I said I would have a catch to this. GB was a formidable Super Bowl contender (lost to Dallas in the NFCCG in the 1995 season) but Seattle and Oakland were not and they were in the title game, which Seattle was in the Super Bowl. Seattle's QB was Rick Mirer. However, they had a decent defense so that's not the bad thing.
2. Good luck playing defense: Yes the NFL is a guessing game, but you can be better than like 15 percent of guessing plays on defense. On top of that, even if you guess right the players on this game may not even play the defender correctly. This was enormously frustrating throughout and thought this was a downgrade actually from the second Tecmo game. There were many shootouts to say the least.
3. How Godly the Browns were: Okay, how on Earth did they not win it all in my simulation? Not sure because when the time I played them, they were all jacked it seemed on stats and attributes. Look, the Browns in 1995 were screwed by their owner moving the team and announcing it mid-season. Maybe Tecmo wanted to make sure they got what they deserved (a likely Super Bowl effort) in spite of that? It's possible. But holy cow, I should have played as the Browns because everyone is insanely good.
Comparisons to the second Tecmo game:
To compare to the first is very unfair, as the third is better all around. So we'll compare to the second game.
1. Defensively, it goes to the second game. You can play defense on that game better.
2. Graphically, the third is the best of all the SNES football games, so the third gets it.
3. Fluidity of game-play goes to the third game as well. It's less choppy though the second is quite fine at game-play as well
So how does this game rate? Well it's easily the best of the games on the SNES for football. As far as overall rating, it's probably an 8.2 or so. However, it barely gets into the top 100 of games on SNES. There are plenty more sports games overall better on the SNES than Tecmo III. I would put it maybe 98 or 99 on the list. However, this is the best of the games for football on the SNES.
Positives:
1. Nearly all players listed: Now there are some players not on here. But that's because of personal preference. This game had the NFL license. Same with Madden, NFL QB Club and others, but it still was up to the player to reject it. It became a thing more with the PS1/N64 and other platforms to get your name on the game. So due respect as it was.
2. Some teams are perfectly put on the game: It's weird, but roll with me. Some teams are perfectly built here. Dallas, San Francisco, and GB were the three best teams in the NFC in 1995 and played like it. Detroit was a playoff team and played like it. Cleveland was a legit Super Bowl contender (if they didn't move) and played like it. Others like Houston were bad and played like it. There is a catch to this however and I will dive on that.
3. Ability to sign/trade: The final edition got this right. Though I didn't trade or sign anyone, you can definitely do so if you wanted. If you wanted a stacked Browns team, you could. Or more stacked Dallas team, you could. Just give it a go and see what you could do in terms of Free Agency or trading players all around.
4. Improved graphics: This is more of a comparison to the other two, but the third has the best graphics to make it a realistic enough feeling for what the super Nintendo would have in terms of a football game. It's obviously something the PS1 and other consoles do better on but this game probably is the best in terms of graphics with the SNES for football.
Negatives:
1. Not all teas are perfectly put: Yep, like I said I would have a catch to this. GB was a formidable Super Bowl contender (lost to Dallas in the NFCCG in the 1995 season) but Seattle and Oakland were not and they were in the title game, which Seattle was in the Super Bowl. Seattle's QB was Rick Mirer. However, they had a decent defense so that's not the bad thing.
2. Good luck playing defense: Yes the NFL is a guessing game, but you can be better than like 15 percent of guessing plays on defense. On top of that, even if you guess right the players on this game may not even play the defender correctly. This was enormously frustrating throughout and thought this was a downgrade actually from the second Tecmo game. There were many shootouts to say the least.
3. How Godly the Browns were: Okay, how on Earth did they not win it all in my simulation? Not sure because when the time I played them, they were all jacked it seemed on stats and attributes. Look, the Browns in 1995 were screwed by their owner moving the team and announcing it mid-season. Maybe Tecmo wanted to make sure they got what they deserved (a likely Super Bowl effort) in spite of that? It's possible. But holy cow, I should have played as the Browns because everyone is insanely good.
Comparisons to the second Tecmo game:
To compare to the first is very unfair, as the third is better all around. So we'll compare to the second game.
1. Defensively, it goes to the second game. You can play defense on that game better.
2. Graphically, the third is the best of all the SNES football games, so the third gets it.
3. Fluidity of game-play goes to the third game as well. It's less choppy though the second is quite fine at game-play as well
So how does this game rate? Well it's easily the best of the games on the SNES for football. As far as overall rating, it's probably an 8.2 or so. However, it barely gets into the top 100 of games on SNES. There are plenty more sports games overall better on the SNES than Tecmo III. I would put it maybe 98 or 99 on the list. However, this is the best of the games for football on the SNES.
Saturday, January 12, 2019
SNES Game Review: Madden NFL 96
There was a time that Madden wasn't the best video game for football on the market, or really the only game on the market. Way back when, say oh the 90's, there were a LOT of video games for Sega and the system that I have, the SNES. That also went to Playstation and PS2 for some extent but primarily going to focus on the SNES, as you can clearly see the title of the review. This is technically the fourth of six games for the SNES that deals with the Madden series (John Madden Football, followed up with Madden's 94-98.) That in mind, the games did have it's share of partners with EA Sports in their endeavors. This was with Visual Concepts. To put this modestly, it has a lot of ups and downs. So how does this game turn out? Let's see below.
Positives:
1. The running game is powerful enough to get to the Super Bowl for you in this game. Yes, there's a specific reason and yes I will highlight it below. But the running game is good for you in this facet.
2. At the end of games, you get to see a highlight of a different game if you want, with the exception of the playoffs. It's kinda neat that they have that sorta game break in there kind of like the FOX Sports thing in real life.
3. More features than most games around this time. It has sign a player (free agency sort of), trade players, create a player, combine (sort of) and more. It is only combined with Tecmo Super Bowl III about the features that come along for the games.
4. The playbook is expansive, yet simple to understand. There isn't terminology that is overtly confusing and the diagram essentially helps the player out.
Negatives:
1. The passing game is awful, minus screen plays, so you have to rely on the running game. This really isn't fixed on Madden 97 either as I play it now. It's an honest shame that they didn't get this sorted at the time or the game would be miles better.
2. Anytime you throw a pass and it isn't completed, you have a quagmire of players in a mess so this was something that hampered the game. Also about every other pass is batted down at the line of scrimmage.
3. Realism of game is very shoddy. The Cardinals didn't do better than 8-8 at this time, but they were in the divisional playoffs. The Packers easily can win the Super Bowl. So yeah, it's not a very realistic game in terms of difficulty.
4. You can get by on about 4-5 defensive plays.. in a season. Yeah.. that's not really a great thing so another negative.
In all, this game is at best average, at worst below average. It isn't terrible, but in all honesty, the three Tecmo games are better in addition to at least 2-3 other games, including both NFL QB Club games. There are some things to like but not enough to give it a good/great rating.
Final rating: 5.5/10. If I threw a number out there overall, 400th would make sense.
Positives:
1. The running game is powerful enough to get to the Super Bowl for you in this game. Yes, there's a specific reason and yes I will highlight it below. But the running game is good for you in this facet.
2. At the end of games, you get to see a highlight of a different game if you want, with the exception of the playoffs. It's kinda neat that they have that sorta game break in there kind of like the FOX Sports thing in real life.
3. More features than most games around this time. It has sign a player (free agency sort of), trade players, create a player, combine (sort of) and more. It is only combined with Tecmo Super Bowl III about the features that come along for the games.
4. The playbook is expansive, yet simple to understand. There isn't terminology that is overtly confusing and the diagram essentially helps the player out.
Negatives:
1. The passing game is awful, minus screen plays, so you have to rely on the running game. This really isn't fixed on Madden 97 either as I play it now. It's an honest shame that they didn't get this sorted at the time or the game would be miles better.
2. Anytime you throw a pass and it isn't completed, you have a quagmire of players in a mess so this was something that hampered the game. Also about every other pass is batted down at the line of scrimmage.
3. Realism of game is very shoddy. The Cardinals didn't do better than 8-8 at this time, but they were in the divisional playoffs. The Packers easily can win the Super Bowl. So yeah, it's not a very realistic game in terms of difficulty.
4. You can get by on about 4-5 defensive plays.. in a season. Yeah.. that's not really a great thing so another negative.
In all, this game is at best average, at worst below average. It isn't terrible, but in all honesty, the three Tecmo games are better in addition to at least 2-3 other games, including both NFL QB Club games. There are some things to like but not enough to give it a good/great rating.
Final rating: 5.5/10. If I threw a number out there overall, 400th would make sense.
Lambeau Field: Always Historic
When you think Lambeau Field, you think history. You think of Lombardi and of the duels of snow and cold in November and December. Of Hornung and Taylor running through Cleveland in a mud and snow slogged field in 1965. You think of NFL Films with John Facenda and Harry Kalas. You think the Ice Bowl. The greatest block in NFL history (Jerry Kramer on Jethro Pugh in said Ice Bowl) to help Green Bay win a record three straight NFL championships. You think of massive winning streaks with Brett Favre in weather under 32 degrees (kinda ironic since he was from a warm state.) You think of Majik in 1989. Of Hail Marys that were full of grace from Aaron Rodgers in playoff games. Also, related note, they have their Hall of Fame on the premises so that's another reason for the history. I had gotten the chance a few times in the past to go to Lambeau Field and I wrote at the time about it, but this probably goes more in-depth because I like to explain everything seemingly.
Alright, so where to start? Let's start with the fact that the two games I went to were the Falcons and.. well the freaking Cardinals game (that one where Mike McCarthy was fired, yes.) Word to the wise, do not park on grass in rain/snow conditions, that pretty much blows. Save the 20 or more bucks and just park on the street somewhere for free. Aside from the absolutely god awful performance of the team against Arizona, the stadium was in okay shape given the fact that the weather really didn't match what the forecasts were saying. The only gripe I would have with the stadium is there really is no drainage in the rows so the water stands. I suspect the reasoning for that is it presents a hazard, also the stadium layout plays a role in it as well but it is something to lay out so you aren't stepping in every puddle ever. Also, it was funny to laugh at all the drunk buffoons not know how to engage a step. For the Atlanta game, there weren't many qualms but the one thing I will say is there isn't a lot of space to navigate when with about 80,000 people in the stadium. That isn't something new considering most stadiums are like that. More or less just the norm.
So what's good about Lambeau? Like I said, history. The moment you get there, you feel a part of that history. The fan shop is gigantic in the atrium with a lot of different stuff you can get. The atrium itself is actually warm (thank you for allowing us to warm up and dry out in that Arizona game) and has a ton of televisions so you can watch the games going on. Also, the bathrooms have the radio broadcast so you aren't too far behind. The food is pretty good, with plenty of choices. That same can be said for whatever drink you'd like to choose. Also, when the stadium district is finished, it'll look super awesome. So is there anything that isn't good?
If I were to throw something up and say improve these things at Lambeau it is these, make the food better quality, as while good it isn't mind-blowing good. Same goes with waiting for bathrooms. The lines can be super long really at any point it seemed when I went both times. Also, better Wi-Fi access. Yes, fans like being on their phones checking probably fantasy football and since this isn't a baseball game with batted balls to look out for in terms of safety, there's almost no reason not to combine with a internet company to have strong enough Wi-Fi for 80,000 plus people. All in all though, not too many qualms with Lambeau.
I would always, 100 percent recommend going to Lambeau. If you are around it, just take a picture of it. It's always a good time to be at the field and being around so many fans. It's a unique place, in a unique atmosphere. But always one I cherish every single time I go up to Green Bay. There is a lot to behold with it but overall, yes do visit Lambeau Field to go to a game.
Alright, so where to start? Let's start with the fact that the two games I went to were the Falcons and.. well the freaking Cardinals game (that one where Mike McCarthy was fired, yes.) Word to the wise, do not park on grass in rain/snow conditions, that pretty much blows. Save the 20 or more bucks and just park on the street somewhere for free. Aside from the absolutely god awful performance of the team against Arizona, the stadium was in okay shape given the fact that the weather really didn't match what the forecasts were saying. The only gripe I would have with the stadium is there really is no drainage in the rows so the water stands. I suspect the reasoning for that is it presents a hazard, also the stadium layout plays a role in it as well but it is something to lay out so you aren't stepping in every puddle ever. Also, it was funny to laugh at all the drunk buffoons not know how to engage a step. For the Atlanta game, there weren't many qualms but the one thing I will say is there isn't a lot of space to navigate when with about 80,000 people in the stadium. That isn't something new considering most stadiums are like that. More or less just the norm.
So what's good about Lambeau? Like I said, history. The moment you get there, you feel a part of that history. The fan shop is gigantic in the atrium with a lot of different stuff you can get. The atrium itself is actually warm (thank you for allowing us to warm up and dry out in that Arizona game) and has a ton of televisions so you can watch the games going on. Also, the bathrooms have the radio broadcast so you aren't too far behind. The food is pretty good, with plenty of choices. That same can be said for whatever drink you'd like to choose. Also, when the stadium district is finished, it'll look super awesome. So is there anything that isn't good?
If I were to throw something up and say improve these things at Lambeau it is these, make the food better quality, as while good it isn't mind-blowing good. Same goes with waiting for bathrooms. The lines can be super long really at any point it seemed when I went both times. Also, better Wi-Fi access. Yes, fans like being on their phones checking probably fantasy football and since this isn't a baseball game with batted balls to look out for in terms of safety, there's almost no reason not to combine with a internet company to have strong enough Wi-Fi for 80,000 plus people. All in all though, not too many qualms with Lambeau.
I would always, 100 percent recommend going to Lambeau. If you are around it, just take a picture of it. It's always a good time to be at the field and being around so many fans. It's a unique place, in a unique atmosphere. But always one I cherish every single time I go up to Green Bay. There is a lot to behold with it but overall, yes do visit Lambeau Field to go to a game.
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